19% international students rise in Sweden in 2021-22

There is a growth in the number of international students in Sweden by 19% in academic year 2021-22, compared to 2020-21.

Sweden saw a remarkable increase in the number of international students in the academic year 2021-22. Swedish Higher Education Authority reveals that over 39,000 international students opt for Sweden as their study destination. As compared to the previous academic year, with around 33,000 students studying in Sweden, there is a hike of 19%.

Over 28,000 students are free movers as they are studying in the country independently without any participation in a study exchange program.

Furthermore, China and Germany were the two leading countries in terms of sending students to study in Sweden. As per the reports, 4,166 German students moved to Sweden, out of which 2,346 students were involved in a study exchange program. In addition, most of the students from China with a total of 2003 were free movers. Other countries including France, India, Finland, and Spain are top countries sending students to Sweden.

The study indicates that students moving to Sweden through exchange programs dropped sharply in the academic year 2020-21. On the other hand, the number of free movers in Sweden fall in 2011-12. Further, Sweden saw a continuous rise in the number of free movers during and post-pandemic. The share of women in the universities in Sweden was 21,754, while 18,052 were men in the academic year 2021-22.

The top universities in Sweden accommodating international students are:

• Lund University
• Stockholm University
• Uppsala University, and
• University of Gothenburg

According to Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister of Migration, the government is taking necessary steps to change application rules for residence and work permits. The current rules depict that students arriving in Sweden from visa-free countries need to visit the Swedish embassy for an ID check. However, the Swedish government is looking out for a flexible approach to make the application hassle-free for international students. Further, the government emphasized that they don’t want to ‘lose competitiveness’.